200 CURREY, ON REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS OF FUNGI. 



the name of Cryptosporium vulgare is only an imperfect state 

 of this particular Sphceria. During the last autumn I met 

 with the same Sphceria in two places, in the neighbourhood 

 of Chislehurst, in Kent ; and the further examination which I 

 had then an opportunity of making, not only confirmed the 

 previous supposition of the identity of the Sphcp.ria and the 

 Cri/ptosporium, but also disclosed the existence of some 

 curious transformations of the fruit of the former, which are 

 worthy of notice. The normal form of the fruit of Sphceria 

 Cryptosporii is shown in fig, 26, and figs. 27 to 31 represent 

 the varieties of fruit just mentioned. The bodies shown in 

 figs. 27 and 28 resemble the common spores of Cryptosporium 

 vulgare, although their length is more considerable, and they 

 have an undulating form., which is not usual in these spores. 

 In fig. 28 two are seen, which have become twisted round 

 one another. It appears to me that these bodies may be 

 elongated asci, in which the endochrome instead of forming 

 sporidia has remained dispersed throughout the interior in a 

 granular condition. A reference to my former paper, and to 

 the figures accompanying it, Plate XII. in Vol. iii., will show 

 the manner in which, according to my view, the formation of 

 sporidia from the endochrome takes place. In fig. 29 the 

 lower end of the ascus has become transformed into a globular 

 vesicle, in which a considerable quantity of the endochrome 

 from the upper end has become accumulated. No symptom 

 of the formation of sporidia is visible either in this or in 

 the two other abnormal asci represented in figs. 30 and 

 31. In the one shown in fig. 30, the ascus has apparently 

 become swollen at the upper extremity ; and in fig. 31 the two 

 ends are elongated, and a globular vesicle has been formed 

 between them. 



I have observed transformations very similar to the above 

 to take place in the fruit of Sphceria verrucceformis ; but the 

 figures and description of these would occupy so much space 

 that I must postpone them for a future communication. I 

 think it not unlikely that these monstrosities of fructification 

 are the result of excess of moisture ; but this is a matter 

 requiring further investigation. 



